1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to holders for rolls of paper and the like and more specifically to such holders which are adapted to prevent theft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, various devices for holding rolls of paper and the like adapted to prevent theft of the rolls or of the devices themselves have been developed. See, for example, Spooner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 516,235; Marshall, U.S. Pat. No. 960,363; Walker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,560; Duby, U.S. Pat. No. 1,888,426; and Agamaite, U.S. Pat. No. 2,410,328. None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention.
All known prior devices for holding rolls of toilet tissue and the like are disadvantageous in that none effectively prevents theft of the rolls and/or of the devices themselves. For example, while the Spooner, Marshall, Duby and Agamaite roll holders all include means for preventing unauthorized removal of the rolls from the holders, the holders themselves may be unauthorizedly removed from the walls by merely removing the easily accessible fastener members from the walls. The fixture lock of Walker, while making it more difficult to remove fixtures such as roll holders from a wall, does not completely overcome the problem since a determined thief need only obtain a substantially flat, elongated member such as a knife or the like to deactivate the lock.